State mourning
State mourning , formerly national mourning , is a state arranged manifestation of sadness and therefore part of Sepulkralkultur . Depending on the state and event, it takes place for one or more days; three and seven days are common. State mourning is often ordered after the death of important or many people. As an expression of national mourning, mourning flags are ordered and public celebrations are usually canceled. The act of state that designates an event must be distinguished from state mourning .
In Germany, the Federal President, as head of state, is authorized, in agreement with the federal government, to order so-called acts of mourning . State mourning practiced in many countries around the world, which goes beyond the flagging of mourning and brings public life to a standstill, can be avoided by the Federal President due to the limits of competence in the federal structure of Germany , in particular as a result of the statehood and cultural sovereignty of the states anchored in Article 30 of the Basic Law , do not arrange.
State mourning or mourning acts are ordered, for example, when prominent personalities of a state die. These could be politicians like Konrad Adenauer , Franz Josef Strauss , Willy Brandt or Johannes Rau , for each of whom a three-day mourning flag was shown in Germany. A hundred days of national mourning in Thailand for Galyani Vadhana , the only sister of King Bhumibol Adulyadej , ended on April 10, 2008. People who are important for the culture of a country such as the Portuguese singer Amália Rodrigues , the Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole or the Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna can be honored with a state mourning.
After the death of Zayid bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 2004, who has held the post of state president in the United Arab Emirates without interruption since the country was founded in 1971, not only in his home country but also in the Arab states , almost all Muslim countries in the Middle East and North Africa as well as India arranged a state mourning.
Even after natural disasters and accidents, such as the ICE accident in Eschede in 1998 and the earthquake in Sichuan in 2008 , national mourning can be ordered in one's own country. Particularly severe disasters such as the seaquake in the Indian Ocean in 2004 are also often the cause of state mourning in unaffected states.
The train attacks in Madrid in March 2004 led to national mourning in Spain, Portugal, Romania and Poland
When plane crash near Smolensk in 2010, in which also the Polish President Lech Kaczynski was aboard, was in Russia one day state mourning arranged because the accident happened in Russia. State mourning was also ordered in some other countries. When the socialist and President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez died on March 5, 2013, several South and Central American states also imposed several days of national mourning.
